"Another friend, a psychologist, recently told me her partner kept his old studio even after they moved in together. Every month, during her hormonal spikes, he retreats there for a few days. Sometimes, they upgrade to one night per week in addition to that. Brilliant! I call that preventative medicine. Maybe the couple that gives each other space stays together and doesn't make weird headlines in the "Relationships Gone Wrong" subreddit."
"Because here is the truth no one prepared me for: perimenopause is not just a hormonal rollercoaster; it's a full-blown existential rave. One moment, I'm craving solitude like it's a basic human right; the next, I'm sobbing at a dog food commercial and wondering if I'll end up alone in a nursing home run by AI robots. And then there's the fog that makes my brain feel like a group chat with no admin and everyone talking at once."
Perimenopause triggers hormonal upheaval alongside intense emotional and existential shifts, producing unpredictable mood swings, cravings for solitude, and acute anxiety about relationships and mortality. Memory fog and difficulty concentrating become pronounced, causing reliance on external reminders and lists. Adaptive strategies such as creating private spaces, scheduling solo time, and mutual boundaries within relationships can reduce tension and preserve intimacy. Humor, candid conversations, and preventive self-care help normalize the experience and foster resilience. Recognizing the combination of physical, cognitive, and psychological changes enables compassionate responses, practical coping measures, and exploration of new self-identities during midlife transition.
Read at Tiny Buddha
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]